Written by Funn Lim
First I must say this. I don't like the direction this series is going and I am tempted to take back every good things I have said about Sonija Kwok because of this idiotic new direction. Anyway the recap first ...
Ko Wa was still missing and somehow I don't feel the urgency of the Kiu family looking for her. In fact Fu Yi Chek seems ok which is very very strange.
The time of year for the yearly review of government contracts to the banks was in and Mr Cho was confident they will get the contract since they were stronger bank. Ding Fung Sing already had the cat in the bag so to speak as Sir Chui preferred them because they have worked together before. However Ding Fung Sing could not put in the bond as required. Bak Chuen was having a hard time figuring out a way to settle this problem.
Meanwhile Yun Tin secretly came back to Ping Yiu looking unshaven and in quite a bad state. In a restaurant he drank himself silly when Mr Cho and Mr Chong passed by and they insulted him. Mr Cho said "I heard you haven't had any luck in landing a job eventhough you did an extensive search. How useless you must feel and ashamed of returning to Ding Fung Sing. Why didn't you come to see me? I would've given you a job as a runner!" and Yun Tin was angry that he retorted "Ding Fung Sing was the one who made you, how dare you do funny business in front of the premise? Do you know gratefulness?" but of course Mr Cho didn't and continued to insult Yun Tin to the point that Yun Tin threw wine in Mr Cho's face and he ran. Mr Cho told Mr Chong to let it be this time.
Well not really. Anyway Yun Tin may have been ambitious or at some point misguided in his ambition but in the end he proved loyal to Ding Fung Sing and he wasn't such a bad guy compared to Mr Cho. I suspect Mr Cho bad mouthed him so he couldn't get a job?
Yun Tin was walking on streets when a bunch of guys threw a big bag over his head and used sticks to beat the crap out of him. And interestingly they probably did the best thing to Yun Tin that he didn't dare to do although they meant it as an insult; they threw him, in the bag in front of Kiu Mansion. The servants opened the bag and saw an injured Yun Tin inside.
When he woke up, he saw his wife's worried face as well as Bak Chuen and Jun. He wanted to leave but Ching tearfully asked him to say and though he refused and was about to make a move, Jun said quietly "Brother in law, please do not go. Sister has been very worried about you and you two love one another, why force this unwanted separation?" and Ching and Yun Tin looked at one another and then Bak Chuen said "This is your family, please come home" and after some thought Yun Tin stood up and then kneel on the floor and said "Father in law, I understand now that I have wronged you and your good intentions. I swear that I shall from today onwards serve Ding Fung Sing without any hidden agendas" and everyone was happy.
Frankly Yun Tin though not a capable leader will make a good advisor.
So now there was Yun Tin thinking with Bak Chuen what to do. Yun Tin was in favour of closing a few branches I think just to raise the sum but Bak Chuen shot it down as he had promised Mr Kiu to preserve the business. But I'm not sure if Yun Tin suggested this or what but anyway Bak Chuen had to consider the only option, that is to gamble the entire fortune of Ding Fung Sing into this final act of recovery of the business as he wondered where to find the money. In the study room, Jun was with him and whilst he worried, Jun said encouragingly "I believe in father's infinite wisdom in choosing you as the successor so if you feel it is appropriate I am on your side" and Bak Chuen smiled at the support when suddenly he thought of something as he held Ding Fung Sing's company seal. Then he remembered...
In the meeting Bak Chuen thought of the solution. "It was Ding Fung Sing's yearly tradition to contribute a sum to a fund, which is intended to be returned to the benefactor of Ding Fung Sing. The foundation of Ding Fung Sing had always been the story of a benefactor who financed Ding Fung Sing into what it is today and a promise to return the money with interest. Over the years the fund has grown larger and I believe it is scattered everywhere but it is a sum that should help us rise back from the ashes" and everyone was happy to hear this forgotten fund and Jun looked at Bak Chuen with new respect and did I see a little bit of love? Anyway Jun met Bak Chuen and Bak Chuen told her "We might be bankrupt if this didn't work" and Jun said "A hen follows the rooster, a dog follows its mate. I am your wife and whereever you go, whatever happens, I shall follow. Do what you must" and Bak Chuen was touched by her sincerity.
Sir Chui, Bak Chuen and Yun Tin watched as a bunch of guys removed few huge boxes from some hidden mining place and Yun Tin looked at Bak Chuen "I now understand why father chose you as his successor. You have saved the bank with your widsom and cunning and you have my respect" and Bak Chuen was pleased.
And so Sir Chui announced Ding Fung Sing won the tender much to the annoyance of Mr Cho and Sir Chui even said the government will bank in all the government's money into Ding Fung Sing and so guess what? If it is good enough for government, it is good enough for everyone.
Now that the bank is saved, Bak Chuen remembered Mr Kiu's promise that he could use the bank's fund to finance his case to clear his family's good name. Bak Chuen knew Sir Chui was responsible as well and he wanted to gain Sir Chui's trust before destroying him.
Meanwhile King Yin left home to stay at the temple. His parents tearfully asked him why and he said "I can't sleep over the things you have done. I won't help you but as your son I can't see you sink any deeper. I will stay at the temple, doing prayers to ease your punishment in the afterlife. Don't worry, I will not reveal the truth to anyone" and he left. He got guts I tell you and also TVB writers probably didn't know what to do with this redundant character since his parents didn't really feel they were wrong.
Bak Chuen and family now travelled to Beijing for some business talk and Jun was very sad. Bak Chuen held her hand and asked her if she was fine and Jun said "I have never been out of Ping Yiu and the last time I was here I came with father and mother. Now they're no longer here with me..." and Bak Chuen reassured her he was there for her. Quite a polite couple. Jun asked Bak Chuen "Have you been to Beijing before?" and Bak Chuen lied, "No".
Bak Chuen went to visit the rundown Chai Mansion and inside he remembered his father's words about being a clean and honourable person and he promised his father he will avenge his death and clear his good name.
Sung Man meanwhile was still teary eyed each time but managed to execute his duties in his new position which I have yet to catch. A voiceover said the government hadn't been doing much to save the country from ruin, corruption was rampant and foreigners were beaten, including nuns and priests distributing food. Sung Man came in time to stop them, I suppose they're the country's special guards or something but the guy retorted "These are the foreigners that ail this empire! Why can't I beat them?" and Sung Man angrily said "I am a faithful citizen of this empire. I will die for this empire if I had to but I also understand who is to be blamed. These priests and nuns were doing charitable work, they were not at fault!" and Sir Chui heard what he said and he was impressed with Sung Man.
I think somewhere along the line Sung Man bumped into Jun in the temple after Jun saw a hanging ermmm incense coil (?) with blessings in the name of her father. She asked Sung Man "Did you do that?" and Sung Man nodded "Yes, it was the least I could do to" and Jun angrily said "How dare you? You were the cause of my father's misery. If it wasn't for you his health wouldn't have taken a bad turn and he wouldn't have died!" but Sung Man said "I wasn't the snitch. Whether you believe it or not it was Mr Cho, it wasn't me" and Jun asked "But you confessed!" and Sung Man said "Yes I did because I did tell my brother but that was after I found out they were already on their way to arrest Mr Kiu. I tried to stop it but I couldn't" and Jun said "But your brother said you did it!" and Sung Man said "If I did do what you said I did, don't you think my brother would have protected me instead of revealing it all? My family didn't like you so my brother did what he did to separate us" and Jun finally realised her mistake and she said "I have wronged you. I have acted rashly and I have wronged you" but Sung Man said "It doesn't matter, it is in the past. You're now Mrs Fan Chi Chai. Chi Chai is a good man and I believe he treats you well" and Jun said "Yes he is. How about you? Are you married?" and Sung Man smiled sadly "Marriage is not my top priority right now" and Jun felt a little guilty.
Jun told Bak Chuen everything and Bak Chuen said "We have wronged him..." and he looked at Jun and Jun understood and said "We would have parted ways even if I didn't marry you. His family, with their reputation and connection wouldn't have agreed to have a daughter in law whom they feel are stinking with money, a trader's daughter. The past is the past husband, I am now your wife and I no longer love Sung Man the way I did before" and Bak Chuen held he lightly.
Pause. I DON'T BELIEVE YOU JUN!!!
Bak Chuen was walking on the streets when he saw the arrivals of prostitutes at the local prostitutes' den... ok maybe not prostitute, but GROs at the nightclub? Anyway he saw Ko Wa!! Immediately he went to her but she didn't recognise him. Later he went back again and managed to book her services although that despicable Sir Chai was there. Bak Chuen found out she was Fa Ling Lung and she was pretty famous. That she had never left Beijing and she was raised by the owner of the nightclub who suspisciously admitted that but didn't meet Bak Chuen's eyes. And so Bak Chuen concluded she couldn't have been Ko Wa.
Meanwhile no one else knows of this Fa Ling Lung and my question to Bak Chuen is why so secretive?
Anyway Sung Man was alone in the compound, playing the flute sadly when his father sat down next to him and asked him "I heard Mr and Mrs Fan of Ding Fung Sing is in Beijing" and Sung Man basically nodded and Mr Cheung knew the source of Sung Man's unhappiness when Sung Man's mother came out and told his son to eat a bowl of something expensive saying it was sent by Anna who has tried very hard to learn the Chinese culture and poem because of him. His father even said "Maybe you could try to accept her, she is a good woman, she will be good for you" and Sung Man listened, almost in pain and quietly nodded.
Next episode... can't remember what happened in the preview because my mind just can't seem to forget that stupid plot with Fa Ling Lung and is she or is she not Ko Wa when it was obvious she was!! I mean loss of memory? How cliche. Why not just show her in coma, or dead rather than losing her memory? And why didn't Bak Chuen fetch Fu Yi Chek since he should know if that is his sister or not. And interestingly nobody recognised her as Mrs Kiu, in fact even Sir Chai didn't know so I suppose they never met at any social event. And did Bak Chuen recognised Sir Chai?
The plot did not thicken, in fact it just became stupid. Tell me, why? Why destroy a good story?
And the performances. Steven Ma is still the best with his tortured look. He does play the tortured lover very well whilst Tavia Yeung is so pretty and played her Jun as someone very well mannered and soft spoken but also determined and opinionated. I like the fact that Jun greatly admired Bak Chuen and was falling for him and I suppose him too because Jun is a very supportive wife.
Everyone else was the same, especially Moses with his one look that rules them all type of performance. The worst was Sonija Kwok. Whenever she plays the Chinese lady, reciting something in Cantonese I just feel she is not up to the mark. In today's episode it confirms my suspiscions. I mean she was just reciting her lines like some automaton whilst smiling like some pre programmed robot. No passion, no curiosity, no nothing. Ko Wa is the role for her but when she plays someone else she just became the bland bad actress Sonija Kwok. Get her out of that mode fast!
Stupid twist in the series like as if we needed any twists at all. At least something intelligent like she didn't have memory loss. But that means she became an undercover prostitute?? Ko Wa a prostitute?! Don't tell me she sells art not body. Yeah right.
